Air conditioning apparatus



Feb. I9, 1935. s, M. ANDERSON AIR CONDITIONING APPARATUS Filed Jan. 15, 1935 4 Smets-sheet 1 ooooo ooooaooo yal Feb. 19, 1935. A Q M, ANDERSON 1,992,051v

AIR CONDITIONING APPARATUS Filed Jan. 15', 1955 4 sheets-sheer 2 Feb. 19, 1935. s. M. ANDERSON AIR CONDITIONNCY APPARATUS Filed Jan. l5, 1953 4 Sheets-Sheetl 3 Mkm/ Feb. 1 9', 1935. s M, ANDERSQN 1,992,051

AIR CONDITIONING APPARATUS Filed Jan. l5, 1953 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 14+ 14a 14a 15e i 15a 140 146 5:l .I 15o 158. Ei

16e 161 me 164 v 4. 166 162 I 162166 Wuessl A Fwenor Patented Feb. 19, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1,992,051 l AIR CONDITIONING APPARATUS Samuel M. Anderson, Sharon,

B. F. Sturtevant Company,

Mass., assignor to Hyde Park, Mass.,

The present invention relates to air conditionmg apparatus and more particularly to apparatus of the general type described in my co-pending application patented Nov. 21, 1933 Patent 0 relation to facility The principal object of the present invention is to reorganize and improve the construction of air conditioning apparatus of the general type disclosed in said application, particularly with of construction and assembly.

With this object in view, the present invention comprises the air washing apparatus hereinafter described and particularly dened in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate what is now considered the preferred form of the invention, Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional elevation of a portion of the apparatus; Fig. 2 is a horizontal section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1; Figs. 3 and 4 are perspective views of the eliminator assembly; Fig. 5 is a detail, vertical, sectional view on line 5 5 of Fig. 1; Fig. 6 is a detail, horizontal, sectional view of the mounting of the inlet lter; Fig. '1 is a perspective view showing the rnode of attachment of vertically adjacent units; Fig. 8 is a detail sectional view showing the preferred connection for the water supply; and Figs. 9 to 13 are detail views of a modied construction.

The illustrated embodiment of the invention includes a bottom collecting' chamber l0 and a plurality of superposed conditioning'or washer units, each indicated generally at 12.

The collecting chamber comprises end walls 14 and side walls 16', the latterbeing provided with a drain or overflow connection 18 and a return connection 20 to be connected with the spray pump. The chamber is divided by a thin transverse plate 22, connected between angles 2 4 attached to opposite side walls 16. The plate serves as a positioning stop for the lter supporting member of the lowermost washer unit, as will.

hereinafter be described. An additional set of angles is arranged near the other end of the chamber to permit the chamber tobe reversed with respect to the superposed washer unit, while still affording means foiattachment of the plate 22 in the same position with relation to the washer unit. This provision for mounting the collecting chamber in either position is important since it permits the water connections to be made on either side of the apparatus.

Attached .to the upper parts of the walls 14 and 16 are transverse and longitudinal angle members 26 and 28 respectively, and internal opposed angles and 32 are attached thereto, as shown in Fig. 1, thereby forming a continuous upwardly facing channel extending completely around the upper part of the chamber.

The lowermost conditioning or washer unit 12 has side walls 34, each provided at the bottom with a horizontal bolting flange 36, cooperating 5 with a flange 3'7 on the side wall of the collecting chamber 10 (see Fig. 7). The washer unit is similarly formed with flanges at the top to permit superposition of an additional unit thereon. At the bottom of the washer unit 12, a continuous 10 angle member or sill 38 extends completely around thel unit, the bottom edge of the sill 38 abutting the top edges of the angles 28 and the end walls 14 of the collecting chamber. Internal angle anges 40 are attached to the sills 38 and are 15 disposed around the four sides of the unit, these angles 40 having depending portions somewhat longer than the sills 38 in order to overlap and t closely around the internal angle pieces 30 and 32 of the collecting chamber. -The joints between 20 the depending angles 40 of the washer unit and the upstanding angle anges/30 and 32 of the co1- lecting chamber unit are sealed with solder.

At the front or air inlet face of the casing, that is, the right-hand face, as viewed in Fig. 1, is 25 the inlet lter screen 42 of the same general onstruction as described in my said co-pending application, comprising front and rear reticulated faces between which is metal wool of some noncorrodible material, such as copper. The lter 30 is supported in the following mannen-The bottom edge of the lter rests on the sills 38. The inner vertical sides of the filter abut against angle irons 44 secured to the side walls 34. At the top, the lter abuts against a longitudinal angle piece 46.

The filter is held in place by means of a baille frame indicated generally at 48. This frame comprises two vertical channel members 50 to engage the opposite side walls of the casingfthe inwardly turned flange portions 52 thereof pressing against theVJ lter (see Fig. 2). Extending horizontally across the washer are a plurality of eliminators or balles 54, e'ach comprising a plate downwardly inclined toward the lter and having at its outer end a hook 56 to prevent the outward passage of water through the air inlet in the event that the sprayis turned on when the air supply is cut off. Each baile is` provided` at its ends with turned-up tabs 57, and the tabs are riveted to the channel members 50.

'I'he bottom portion of the baille frame is held in place by an angle piece 59 secured to one of the sills 38. The frame is secured to the casing at opposite sides by bolts 60. In order to remove the lter, either for a replacement thereof, or for access to the spray nozzles, it is merely necessary to unbolt the baiiie frame, swing the top out, and lift the bottom over Athe angle 59. The lter is then free to be pulled out. The top and bottom corners of the frame adjacent the lter are cut away, as shown inl Fig. 1, to permit the frame to be tipped outwardly for removal.

The air, after passing in the direction o'f the arrow through the lter 42, enters the spray chamber 61, whereit is subjected to a mist of water ejected from the spray nozzles 62. The

the sides,

nozzles are mounted on separate pipes 63, as shown in my co-pending application, each of the pipes being connected into a supply pipe 66 which is connected to a suitable water supply in a manner to be hereinafter described in detail.

After passing the sprays, the air continues through an outlet lter 68 and thence through' a series of eliminators, indicated generally at 70, for the purpose of eliminating entrainment.

The outlet filter 68 is of the same construction as the inlet screen 42, and is positioned internally against two vertical angle pieces 72 attached to the casing. The bottom of the lter rests upon a plate 74, the ends of which are supported on the horizontal surfaces of the sills 38. Extending downwardly from the front end of the plate 72, that is, the right-hand end as viewed in Fig. 1, is a vertical apron 76 which abuts against the plate 22 of the collecting chamber around the iilter. At the rear, the plate '74 is formed with an upward extension 77 which engages the rear side of the iilter. The upward extension 77 is only a sufficient height to position the filter, without preventing its, insertion or removal.

The eliminator frame, as shown in Fig. 4, comprises two vertical box-like structures 78, formwhich are snugly received within the casing and which abut against removable positioning members consisting of angle pieces 80 extending around the two sides and the top of the washer, and bolted thereto. This box structure 78 is constructed of a single piece of metal forming the three vertical walls, and two pieces of metal forming the top and bottom walls which are connected to the sidewalls by the tabs 84 turned inwardlyvtherefrom.

Connected between the boxes 78 is a top wall@ construction -to which the eliminator plates are attached. This top wall construction comprises a rear vertical plate 86 connected at its bottom with a'forwardly extended plate 88 having outwardly extended tabs 90 arranged to be bolted to the top pieces 82 of the box 78. In front of the plate 88 is disposed a second vertical piece 91 and a horizontal plate 92, and another or third vertical plate 94, all forming the step-like structure of- Fig. 3. This construction for the top of the eliminator is preferablyl made of a single piece of metal. 4

The bottom of the eliminator frame comprises the single plate 96. The eliminators comprise three series of vertical bames in zig-zag arrangement, as shown in Fig. 2, one series being attached to the forward plate 92, and one series to the rear plate 88, as shown in Fig. 3. E ach bame consists of a single sheet of metal 98 having three connected right angle portions. A vertical, inwardly facing hook 100 is formed along the entire reardge of each plate and vertical hooks 102 and 104 are attached to the first and second outerl corners respectively of each plate. The baiiies are arranged side by side, as shown in Fig. 3,

each being provided with amiable riveting tabs Attached betweenthe plate 94 and the bottom plate 96 are a pair of lter holding channels 106, each having a back plate 107 attached to the eliminator frame and a front plate 108 to engage the filter. Bolts 109 passing through the side walls '34 engage threaded plates 110 welded to the inside of the box structure 78 to secure the eliminator frame in position.

The eliminator frame is held in place at the bottom by a vertical ledge 111 attached to the sill 38. To remove or replace the illter, it is only necessaryto remove the bolts 109 and swing the top of the eliminator frame out and lift the bottom over the ledge 111. The angle/pieces 80 are then unbolted and removed, thus providing a clear space to swing the lter out over the positioning plate 77. R

The top of each washer unit is built in a manner exactly similar to the top of the collecting chamber 10, namely, by the use of outside angle pieces 112 and 113 correspondingto the angle pieces 26 and 28 of the collecting chamber and by internal angles 114 similar to the angles 30 of the collecting chamber, thereby forming a complete upwardly facing channel extending completely aroundthe washer. The upper or rear vertical plate 86 of the eliminator frame abuts againstand is positioned by theangle 112.

The upper part of the iirst washer unit therefore presents to the second washer unit the same construction as is presented to the first washer unit by the collecting chamber and the attachment between' the washers is made in a fashion similar to the attachment of the first washer unit tothe collecting chamber. -A illter apron 116A the apron 76 engages the plate 22 of the collect ing chamber. y

In operation, -the air ilowing through the apparatus is constrained to pass through both illiters and both sets of eliminators and bailes. Any entrained water is collected on the iilters and eliminators and courses downwardly through the unit next below, 4eventually running into the collecting chamber. It will be noted that the space 117 in rear of the apron 116 of any washer unit is a dead air space, which permits any water toA ilow downwardly to the section below without disturbance from the air stream. Similarly, the space in the rear of the plate 22 in the collecting chamber is a dead air space, the late preventing anyiiow of air around the iiltegg` A feature of importance in conn tion with main spray supply pipe of the washer unit is shown at 66. 'I'his pipe is threaded into a coupling member 120 which is attached to the side wall 34 ofthe washer unit by bolts 122. A gasket 124 and a bolting ring 125 are placed respectively on the inside and outside of the wall. The inlet. feed connection comprising a pipe 126 is threaded directly into the copling 120.. It will be noted in this construction that the gasket 124 is required to4 seal only against the slight air pressure in the chamber and isf not required to withstand the high water pressure as is usual coupling arrangements.

The construction` above `described isA particularly suitable for apparatus madev of galvanised iron, in which welded joints cannot be employed.

The present invention. however, with some minor vanized surface.

1,992,051 changes, is adapted for a cheaper construction,

in which some welded joints are used. This construction is shown in Figs. 9 to 13 inclusive.

The construction of the joints between adjajacent umts of the apparatus is shown in Fig. 12. The upper end of each washer unit is formed of a horizontal ledge extending completely around the unit. This ledge is formed with an upstanding portion 132, a horizontal portion 134 and an outer vertical portion 136 forming means to receive and position the eliminator frame 138 which is of substantially the same form as the eliminator 'I0 previously described. 'Ihe bottom portion of the superposed washer unit has a ledge 140 which engages the ledge 130 and an inverted U- haped sill structure 142 having its outer side 144 abutting with the vertical portion 136 of the lower unit. The ledges 130 and 140 are coated with a water-proof plastic material and are secured together by bolts 146. 'I'he apron 148 which supports the filter immediately above and engages the lter of the unit below is mounted similarly to the apron 116 of Fig. 1. An angle :150, similar to the angle 111 of the construction of Fig. 1, is provided to position the lower end of the eliminator frame. j

The iiIter 152 is positioned in side channel members 154 as indicated in Fig. 11, one side of the channel being reduced in size to permit the lter to be removed. The frame oi' the eliminator 138 comprises aside .plate 156 from which extends inwardly the plate 158 having an inturned edge 160 to engage' and position the nlter. 'I'he eliminator plates are secured to the frame as in the construction previously described.

A modified water connection is shown in Fig. 9. The spray pipe 161, which is similar to the pipe 66 of the constructon previously described, is fitted at each end with the plug member 162 of a. union. The threaded member 164 of the union is welded to a ring 166 which in turn is welded to the side wall of the casing, the welds being indicated at 167. With this construction, the pipe 160 may be cut to the proper length, regardless of any variations in the size of the unit. and the pipe may be easily sprung into place, after which the nuts 168 of the unions may be taken up. The water connection 170 may be made at either side of the unit, the other side being plugged As in the rst modification, the joints between the wall and the fitting are required to withstand only the small pressure existing within the chamber. 'I'he welds and areas adjacent thereto are protected by asphaltum paint. 'I'his modified connection is somewhat simpler and is more accessible for repairs, but is preferably not used on apparatus which has been constructed of galvanized iron because of the damage to thegal- The welded construction permits use of an advantageous form of overow pipe shown in Fig. 13. The ordinary overflow frequently permits the water to run out in a vortex, thereby introducing variations in the load on the pump and militating against According to this invention, the overflow comprisesa bent tube 174 conveniently in the form of a 45 coupling which is welded to the interior of the collecting chamber. It has been found that the water -in passing outwardly through the curved tube is unable to form a vortex and therefore runs without rotation into the pump.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

uniformity of operation.v

1. Air conditioning apparatus comprising a conditioning unit having sills surrounding the unit and of downwardly facing channel form, and a collecting unit having sills surrounding the unit and of upwardly facing channel form with portions to overlap the sills of the conditioning unit.

2. Air conditioning apparatus comprising a conditioning unit having sills of downwardly facing channel form, a collecting unit having upwardly facing channels with portions to overlap the sills of the conditioning unit, a lter in'the Aconditioning unit, an apron on which the filter is supported and having a portion extending downwardly into the collecting unit, and means associated with the apron of air around the filter.

3. Air conditioning apparatus comprising a casing having sills, a nlter, angle pieces internally of the casing to position the lter, an eliminator comprising a frame and a plurality of to prevent by-passing bailies, one of the sills having a vertical ledge, and

means for positioning the frame within the ledge to lock the filter.

4. Air conditioning apparatus comprising a plurality of conditioning units, each including a iilter,` a collecting unit, a support for the filter of each conditioning unit having an apron extending into the unit next below, and means in ,fthe collecting unit to engage the apron to prevent by-passing of theair around the filter.

5. Air conditioning apparatus comprising a casing. -alter, positioning means for the lter, an entrainment eliminator comprising a plurality of bames, each having a plurality of angle portions, the frame for the eliminator comprising a bottom plate and a step-like upper plate. a channel attached to each side of the frame for locking the nlter, and means for securing the frame in the casing.

6. Air conditioning apparatus comprising a casing, a lter, filter positioning members internally of the casing, an eliminator frame to engage the filter on the side opposite to the filter positioning members, means ,for detachably positioning the eliminator frame at the lowerend to the casing to permit the frame to be swung into place, and means at the upper end of the frame for securing it in the casing.A

'7. Air conditioning apparatus comprising a casing, a filter, filter positioning members internally of the casing, removable frame positioning members on the opposite side'of the filter, and an eliminator frame having a portion extending inwardly beyond the frame positioning members to engage the filter.

8. Air conditioning apparatus comprising a casing having at the bottom a vertical ledge, a filter, internal lter positioning members, a frame to engage and secure the iilter, the frame being held between the ledge and the filter, and means for securing the frame in place in the casing.

9. Air conditioning apparatus comprising a casing having at the bottom a vertical ledge, frame positioning members disposed inwardly of the casing, and an eliminator frame having portions extending inwardly beyond the positioning members, and the positioning members.

10. Air conditioning apparatus comprisingV .a collecting unit, a superposed conditioning unit, a lter, means for positioning the filter in the conditioning unit, a plate on which the lter is supported having an apron depending into the collecting unit, and a positioning stop plate in the the frame being mounted between the ledge collecting unit to be engaged by the apron to prevent by-passing of air around the lter.

l1. Air conditioning apparatus comprising a plurality of superposed conditioning units, a lter for each unit, eliminators behind the filters, plates on which the filters are supported, sills for supporting the plates, the plate for an upper unit having an apron depending into thev unit below to engage the face of the filter to form a. space through which the water may ow downwardlyfrom the upper eliminator without disturbance from the air.

l2. In air conditioning apparatus, a collecting chamber having waterconnections at one side, a conditioning unit mounted on the collecting chamber, plate supporting means on opposite sides of the chamber and near opposite ends thereof, and a plate to and adapted to be attached to either pair of supporting members on opposite aidesV oi the chamber, whereby the collecting chamber may be reversed with respect to the conditioning unit.

13. Air conditioning apparatus comprising a plurality of superposed units, each unit having a top, a, horizontal ledge and an outer vertical portion extending around the unit, and at the bottom a horizontal ledge and a. sill of downwardly tacing channeliorm extending around the unit', two of such units being connected together with the horizontal ledges attached and the downwardly facing sill portion of the upper unit opposed to the vertical portion of the lower unit.

SAMUEL M. ANDERSON.

divide the collecting chamber- 

